Tempus Mare Puera
by CreamyNality
Summary: /Kanmusu is not a miracle./ /It is not the pure defender of justice we had all hoped it to be./ /Instead, being a Kanmusu is a path, paved in tears and suffering ,/ /Suffering that goes unnoticed in our cruel, uncaring sea./ /Kanmusu goes in a cycle, perpetuated by grief,/ /Grief that grows heavier and harder to bear with each passing day./ /And yet, Kanmusu still exist-/
1. Chapter 1: Prologue-Time's Irradiance

**-Tempus Mare Puera -Arkh's Kancolle Fanfic-**  
 **Tags: AU-verse, Non-canon, OC.**  
 **Chapter 1: Prologue**

 _/Kanmusu is not a miracle./_

 _/It is not the pure defender of justice we had all hoped it to be./_

 _/Instead, being a Kanmusu is a path, paved in tears and suffering ,/_

 _/Suffering that goes unnoticed in our cruel, uncaring sea./_

 _/Kanmusu goes in a cycle, perpetuated by grief,/_

 _/Grief that grows heavier and harder to bear with each passing day./_

 _/And yet, Kanmusu still exists, and will continues to exist./_

 _/So, as long as there is grief, there will be those who will fight for_  
 _hope./_

 _/However as long there is Abyssals, grief too will continue to exist./_

 _/Whether their struggle will yield fruit, or be dashed against the_  
 _bottom of the sea – only time can tell./_

There it was again, Asahi thought, that cherry blossom tree in the  
yard across the nearby field. From her room's window in the  
Naval District, Asahi could clearly see that cherry  
blossom tree bathing in sunlight. Asahi had never thought much about  
it, but she started to see the irony in that scene. The tree was dead,  
her bark dried and her blossoms withered. Its baring branches swayed  
weakly in the wind.

Every time Asahi awoke in that bed, the girl shot upright and  
panted heavily. The memories of the timeline she had chosen to reset  
were still fresh in her mind, tormenting her in her waking moments.  
Then, she would turn to her side and see that same cherry blossom tree,  
dead.

Why was this tree dead? Why did it bother Asahi so? The young girl  
could only sigh.

With composed determination, Asahi rose up from her bed and started to  
prepare her things. It was time for her to go to class again – the  
Kanmusu Classroom ofcourse. There, she would repeat that fateful month she  
had lived through time and time again. There, she would try to make good  
on the promises she had made to protect Chidori.

This time would be different, she told herself. This time would be  
different.

This time, she will defeat that Erebus Hime.

* * *

 _*Tempus, Mare, Puera*_

* * *

Asahi, the new transfer student in Chidori's class, seemed  
perfect. Blessed with both peerless beauty and dutiful studiousness, it  
was hard for her peers to remain unimpressed. Chidori watched this girl  
from her seat at the back of the classroom, very much fond of her.

That afternoon, their teacher, Katori lectured about Rudders – a  
topic almost everyone in the class found boring. The majority of the  
class was already nodding off to sleep. Chidori's best friend, Tomozuru, already had her face buried in her desk.

Asahi, on the other hand, sat upright and took down notes without the  
slightest hint of disinterest. She had been writing like that throughout  
the class, stopping only to part her hair or to scan through what she  
had written. Chidori's admiration for Asahi grew.

"Asahi-chan sure is studious." Chidori thought, "Class is almost over,  
but she's still at it."

The face-desked Tomozuru almost sensed Chidori's thoughts through telepathy.

Almost.

Tomozuru responded with mock telepathy, jealous and tired irritation.

"Fuah~ How does she find this stuff interesting? Rudders are developed ages ago… almost a freakin' century!"

"Hmm… maybe she likes the subject?" Chidori pondered back. She then turned to the  
black, snake-like creature napping in her bag and smiled at it. "Isn't  
that right, Rowy?"

Rowy's only reply was a small nod and its odd smile. Chidori  
smiled again and tried her best to listen attentively to the teacher's  
lecture. Tomozuru, on the other hand, stayed face first on her desk.

"I'mma sleep for real this time, Chidori." Tomozuru yawned ,  
she wispered  
"Wake me up when class is over, aight?"

"Wait, Tomozuru-chan…"

It was too late – Tomozuru was already fast asleep. Rather than wake her  
up, Chidori just smiled.

"Maybe I should take it easy too." She thought, taking out her own  
notebook filled with drawings and doodling to pass the time. Before she  
could realize it, the school bell rang and classes were over.

Chidori woke up the stealthily sleeping Tomozuru, gathered her things then prepared to  
leave. While waiting for Tomozuru to finish, Chidori searched the room for  
Asahi but she was nowhere to be found. Much like always, Asahi made  
her exit without saying a word to anyone else. Chidori was disappointed.

For a moment, she considered trying to go after Asahi to try and break  
the cold silence that had persisted between them since they met but  
eventually decided not to. After all, that afternoon, she and Tomozuru  
would be participating in their very first sortie under their  
unofficial 'mentor' Tokiwa, their upperclassman. Both she and Tomozuru  
were excited for that afternoon. She decided to talk with the strange  
transfer student some other day.

Meanwhile, Asahi made her way to the library – a place rarely  
visited by the kanmusus. After decades of combats many kanmusu saw books and libraries as trivial pleasure instead a place of learning.  
Asahi didn't mind. It would only mean that she would be able to read in  
peace.

The section Asahi visited was dedicated to the First Spring War, or mostly known as "The Kanmusu War" because it was the first war to sortie the then new kanmusu, it was also filled  
with books describing the major battles and the tremendous suffering the  
War brought about. These books oftentimes sat untouched by anyone save  
for Asahi. This time, though, a handful of books – including some of  
the books Asahi was looking for – were not on the shelves.

Asahi frowned. She had been meaning to borrow those books, but someone  
had already beaten her to them. It wasn't a big deal, she thought. She  
just chose a few other books that caught her interest then looked for a  
comfortable seat somewhere in a closed-off corner.

During her search, she found Tokiwa already seated on a comfortable  
armchair and reading one of the books Asahi was looking for. Asahi  
greeted the golden-haired girl with a glare.

"So, you like reading about the First Spring war, Asahi-san." Tokiwa  
smiled, "I'm glad to know I'm not the only one."

Tokiwa then showed Asahi the book she was reading – a record of  
the abyssals form of the First Spring War. It had entries describing  
everything from early Ro-class to the now extinct Protected Cruisers Abyssals to the one of a kind Monitor-class Hime,Asahi didn't know why Tokiwa would want to read  
that book..

"Why are you here?" Asahi challenged, "Starting to feel like your  
cannons don't have enough stopping power?"

"I get by with my cannons just fine, thank you." Tokiwa replied, her  
smile cooling quickly, "It's not unusual for Kanmusu like us to want  
to study battle tactics and our enemy. Even these old tomes can be  
exceptional references, you know."

Tokiwa then stood up from her seat, picked up the small pile of books she  
had taken from the shelves then stuffed them into her bag. The book of  
then First Spring war armaments, however, she handed to Asahi.

"You wanted this book, right?" Tokiwa asked, "Its section on artillery is  
superb, 380mm cannons particularly. You will like it, I'm sure. It's an  
interesting read for enthusiasts like us."

"That's not why I'm here."

"Why then are you here?" Tokiwa asked, her voice now sharply inquisitive.  
Her perpetual cheerfulness was now nowhere to be found.

Asahi replied with cold silence – it was a stalemate. Tokiwa sighed and  
her cheerfulness returned, paired with a little more caution than before.

"Well, as long as these books keep you from harming Chidori-san or  
Tomozuru-san, I'd be happy to share what I know with a fellow enthusiast."  
Tokiwa cheerily said, forcing the book into Asahi's free hand, "I have to  
go now, Asahi-san. Enjoy your reading."

Taking her bag of books with her, Tokiwa went on to the checkout counter  
then left for the sortie hangar in a hurry. Chidori and Tomozuru  
were waiting for her there, after all. Asahi however just stood there,  
gripping onto the book tightly. She turned to a nearby window and saw  
the setting sun grow dimmer and dimmer.

"You know nothing, Tokiwa. Nothing." Asahi muttered, her voice shaking,  
"I… I envy you."

In the white, blank nothingness of Asahi's dorm room, a pendulum suspended  
in the ceiling swung back and forth endlessly. Aside from the hundreds of  
pinned papers on the walls around the room and the simple couches that served as  
seating and bedding, the room was completely empty.

Asahi took a seat and fished out the book of armaments from her bag.  
She randomly flipped through the pages then came across the 380mm monitor  
gun, the type of gun that formed the backbone of the then defensive Kanmusu  
of Corregidor Island in the Philippines during the First Spring War.  
Just as Tokiwa had presumed, the monitor gun, as well as the other guns,  
piqued her interest.

The arrival of a black, snake-like creature, however, would interrupt  
her curious reading.

"You wanted me?" The creature squeaked, its smile ever present on  
its face.

Its arrival startled Asahi, causing her to knock her bag off her seat.  
Its contents then spilled to the floor. Asahi gathered her composure,  
ignoring the books, then turned to the creature with cool and collected  
expression.

"Yes, I did." She said coldly, "Tell me about Erebus Hime."

"Erebus Hime?" Rowy asked, glancing at the books that had been  
scattered all over the floor, "So that's what you've been up to. If  
you've read all of those books, you should already have a fairly good  
idea of…"

"Abyssal!" Asahi hissed, her glare now bordering on murderous intent,  
"Tell me about Erebus Hime!. She was a Kanmusu once, wasn't she?"

"Very well." Rowy said, slithering onto one of the sofas then facing  
Asahi, "It will be a long story… or should I say long /stories/. Are  
you sure…?"

"I have the time. Out with it."

 **Characters so far:**

\- Battleship Asahi  
\- 'TorpedoBoat' Destroyer Chidori*  
\- 'TorpedoBoat' Destroyer Tomozuru*  
\- Armored Cruiser Tokiwa

* (really, it just a term IJN made to evade the naval treaty, its really a destroyer in all but class name)

**(Wikipedia them if you want to know their real life counterpart)


	2. Chapter 2: Fractal Stories

**-Tempus Mare Puera -Arkh's Kancolle Fanfic-**  
 **Tags: AU-verse, Non-canon, OC.**  
 **Chapter 2: Fractal Stories**

"So, you want to know about Erebus Hime…" Rowy said with interest  
while he viewed the pinned notes and papers scattered around Asahi's room,  
"The Abyssal Hime that wanders around in aimless circles, destroying everything  
in her path."

A paper displaying a sketch of the hime in question then drifted  
between Asahi and Rowy. The creature turned its gaze from the screen  
to Asahi then commented, "You really are interesting, Battleship Asahi. I  
wonder how you heard about her."

Asahi stayed silent, her patience tested by Rowy's searching gaze.  
Her silence then finally prompted him to carry on.

"Erebus Hime, as you already seem to know, was created at the end of  
the event you humans call the 'First Spring War'," Rowy recounted as  
he stared straight into Asahi's eyes, "It was a time of hatred,  
suffering and grief… Also, it was one of the periods of human history  
when Abyssals were even more numerous and their attacks rampant."

"The First Spring War was rife with suicides and massacres." Asahi  
replied with disgust, "It's not very hard to make a connection between  
suffering and Abyssals… let alone Erebus Hime."

"Yes, Abyssals were everywhere." Rowy admitted, "Every nation ravaged  
by the war and the suffering that accompanied it was also ravaged by  
despair. Therefore, many girls secretly was taken to take up arms and become  
Kanmusu to counter the despair."

"And you happily guided them...…"

"Why, yes of course! How could I refuse?" Rowy asked, curious as to  
why Asahi was so taken aback by that fact, "They themselves pleaded  
with the me to give them the strength to fight, the military was close to the point they could develop the Kanmusu system, all I gave them is a little nudge and the strength  
they asked for and even granted them their wish to protect the people they love! It was more than a fair  
deal for them, don't you think? Giving them strength and granting their family solace, that is."

Rowy then paused for a moment then sighed, its eerie smile ever  
present on its face, "You too have had your reason to fight… right,  
Asahi?"

The way Rowy asked her that made Asahi feel rather uneasy. She felt  
as if he was trying to coerce information out of her, on top of actively  
trying to read her mind. Sweat slowly dripped from Asahi's forehead as  
she was locked in a staring contest with the red-eyed creature. She knew  
Rowy looked at her with great suspicion and distrust, just as she did  
towards Rowy.

Unaffected by the silence, Rowy reached for the paper floating  
between them. He held onto it and the sketch of Erebus Hime was  
replaced by black and white static, as if someone was rewinding a VHS  
tape. Rowy let go of the screen and random video clips began flashing  
from it – distorted and unclear. However, Asahi could still make out  
three different girls from the alternating videos.

The screen showed a Japanese girl sitting alone in a bay, meditative  
and silent. It then jumped to an American lady in her early twenties  
looking out to the sea and the setting sun from the balcony of a large,  
white plantation house, a half-drank Coca Cola bottle in her hand. The  
third time around, the screen showed a young Filipina girl walking  
happily with her mechanic father in a hangar full of USAFFE interceptor  
planes. Asahi was starting to get confused.

"Three girls…" She muttered in thought before asking, "Why am I seeing  
three girls?"

Her eyes sharpened.

"Are you trying to be funny?"

"No, no. I would not be able to make a joke even if I wanted to – nor  
would I be able to lie." Rowy assured, "Ask me a question and I will  
answer it truthfully."

"Who then are those girls?"

"They are the three girls responsible for the birth of Erebus Hime."  
Rowy replied, "The tale of these three girls and the tale of Erebus Hime are, as some of your humans would say, one and the same."

The video then finally stabilized, showing a scene in the Tokyo Imperial  
Castle in the past,

* * *

 ***Act I***

* * *

Top officials of the branches of the Japanese military had come together  
for an emergency meeting to discuss the course of action they wanted to  
take in the coming days. Unlike in their previous meetings which were  
noted to be serious and fearful, the officials were in unusually high  
spirits – they joked, smiled, smoked and laughed merrily.

Only days ago, the very thought of war with the Abyssals  
would have struck fear in the Japanese central command. But that day,  
grand offensive battle plans sweeping through all of the Far East were  
drawn up. The maps they had spread out over the tables were marked with  
the fortresses and encampments of the Abyssals forces  
throughout the Far East and their proposed offensives would strike at  
each and every one of them. Against their better judgment, they were  
very much eager to execute it. It was a strange sight, caused by the  
marks on the necks of the officials that were invisible to the untrained  
eye – Abyssals Corruptions.

The officials had become bloodthirsty, pushed to the edge by the  
frustration that had built up after the withdrawal of their allies  
from Japan to protect their own country and the more recent sea blockade imposed  
against them by the Abyssals. Rather than listen to reason, they had let their emotions  
guide their decision-making. They had unwittingly led themselves into  
the Abyssals's plan.

Within the nearby Tokyo Bay, a red moon shone menacingly over a seemeingly endless sea  
littered with rotting corpses that never ceased twitching. Huge  
grey skies changed at an unusual pace and spectral Taiko drummers beat  
their drums on and on could be heard but cannot be seen. Thousands of short, black and faceless  
little abyssals clad in bones resembling the body of a dolphin swam  
lethargically in formation. In the  
center were rows of Torii arches, set permanently ablaze in dark blue  
flames, lining a path stained with blood and littered with bits of flesh  
and torn limbs. At the end of the path was a  
girl wearing clothes made from a bizarre mix of cast iron and papier-mâché. Japanese  
fans marked with more abyssals marking swiped from the Hime's hand, rising up  
and down to the beat of the Taiko drums.

That girl is the Abyssal hime that corrupted the bay.

The foreign sound of wooden slippers parting the waves then  
resounded throughout the bay. It quickly caught the attention of the  
hime, its iris-less eyes trained at the source of the sound. The  
statue found a lone Japanese girl in a blue kimono patterned with  
morning glories walking slowly towards the dolphin abyssals army. A hairpin the girl wore  
bore a magnificent paulownia-shaped gem that gave off a dull turquoise  
glow. She held a naginata firmly in her left hand and a Type 100  
submachine gun in her right.

Not pleased with the unwelcome visitor, the hime readied the  
fan she held. She lifted it up then waved it down, ordering  
the dolphin-like abyssals fleet to march towards the girl in the blue kimono.

The faceless dolphin fleet sailed together, their orchestrated advances akin to  
thunder. The girl walked onwards patiently, her face showing no fear.  
When the vanguard of the fleet was within striking distance, she finally  
attacked.

Large swipes from her naginata cleaved scores of black dolphin-like abyssals at a  
time and long bursts of submachine gun fire would mow down the rest  
that had come to reinforce their lines, allowing her to press forward.  
The girl in the blue kimono wedged her way through the enemy and got  
onto the stone path towards the stationary Hime.

Ahead of the little abyssals fleet now, the girl slashed at the flaming Torii arches  
and they collapsed behind her – blocking the path of her pursuers. Thus,  
the battle had become one-on-one; a duel between the girl in the blue  
kimono and the Tokyo bay Hime.

Under the cover of the burning arches the girl open-fired at the witch.  
Immediately, the fan that the Hime held blocked the  
bullets – deflecting them as if the fan were made of sturdy metal. This  
defensive maneuver however would work towards the kimono girl's  
advantage. Using the Toori as a sort of springboard the girl managed to  
jump onto her and then pounce at the Hime. The girl ran up the hime's back and, with a clean swipe of her naginata, she beheaded the  
Hime.

The girl jumped down from the headless hime and landed on the bloodied  
water where a red,glowing crystal now sat. A moment later, the grey skies of the  
abyssals influence crumbled apart and later on, she swerved back to  
the Imperial Palace in a hurry.

Listening in on the conversation of the officials huddled in their room,  
the girl noticed that their previous euphoria had banished. Their  
intention to strike at the Abyssals, however, remained  
firmly intact. Orders were already being given out to begin preparations  
for an attack. The influence of the hime was gone, but the abyssals had  
succeeded in accelerating the beginnings of the War in the Pacific.

The girl had come from Hokkaido, travelling southward by boat then by  
train to Tokyo, defeating a handful of Abyssals and many more  
along the way – all of which seemed to have the same goal as the Hime  
in the Tokyo Bay. She couldn't help but think that the same was  
true elsewhere in the world.

She heard about the tragedies all over the world; the massive  
bombardment of Great Britain by the abyssals carriers, the indiscriminate masacree of  
people throughout Axis-controlled territory and the grand systematic  
defeats and sacrifices by red fleet in the Soviet Union. The  
list went on and on. The number of abyssals gathering in Asia greatly  
troubled her, but she could not figure out what they would gain from  
provoking and advancing a war, much less trying to advance the higly secret Kanmusu program. The patterns she started to see didn't make sense.

Little did she know that the war in the Pacific was the next piece of  
the puzzle to set up the stage for the greatest and most tragic drama  
known to man.

* * *

"Erebus Hime… was born in the Far East?" Asahi snapped in confusion,  
"Didn't she come from Europe?"

"My, my." Rowy scolded with a shake of its head, "As studious as you  
may be, it seems you've been studying the wrong war theater."

Shocked, Asahi turned to the books that spilled out of her bag earlier.  
All of them pertained to events that had taken place in Europe and North  
America. Only Tokirwa's book of armaments covered the Pacific War to an extent.

"Don't blame yourself for making that mistake." Rowy comforted, "When  
people talk about the First Spring War, Germany, Russia and the United  
States are the first countries that come to mind. What about British  
India? What about French Indochina? What about New Zealand? The Pacific  
War is generally forgotten…"

"In the same way Kanmusu are forgotten after they are gone."

"Precisely!" Rowy agreed, not showing even a hint of remorse, "And  
that's all for tonight."

The paper that floated between the two of them became fuzzy static  
again before reverting back to the sketch of Erebus Hime. Rowy  
then hopped off the table he had been standing on then proceeded to  
leave Asahi's room.

"Where do you think you're going? You haven't told me who Erebus Hime  
is yet."

"You didn't ask to tell me who she was." Rowy pointed out. "You only  
told me to tell you about her. That's a very broad question. I told you  
something about her and her story – I even showed you her companions. I  
think that will suffice."

"Wait a minute!"

"My apologies, Asahi. It's gotten late. I have somewhere else to be. An  
Abyssals's job is never done." Rowy sighed, ignoring Asahi's call.  
"A Century have passed, and still, my work is unfinished. Humanity is  
quite a troublesome species, don't you think so?"

At the threshold of the girl's room, Rowy stopped for a moment.

"I'll be back some other time, but you ought to at least know what it is  
you are actually seeking. Then, I will provide you with all the answers  
you need."

Once Rowy was gone, Asahi sat at her couch alone and at a loss. Many  
of the theories she had conjured up about her foe were flushed down the  
drain with her first talk with Rowy. The answers he provided only  
spawned more questions that wouldn't give her rest. She did not have the  
patience to wait for the ferret to come in once he felt like talking  
again. Seeing the book of armaments she had set aside while Rowy  
talked, Asahi remembered someone she might find useful.

"...That damned Abyssal"

She decided to pay Armored Cruiser Tokiwa a visit.


	3. Chapter 3: Who are Welcome

**-Tempus Mare Puera -Arkh's Kancolle Fanfic-**  
 **Tags: AU-verse, Non-canon, OC.**  
 **Chapter List:**

 **Chapter 3: Who are Welcome**

It was half past nine, The pale moon hung low in the cloudless sky, gleaming over the dormitory complex in the Naval District where Armored Cruiser Tokiwa lived. Tokiwa, who just finished eating a simple lonely dinner stood in front of a kettle and waited for it to start boiling. The Kettle whined and steam rose up from its spout, prompting Tokiwa to turn it off. She then reached for a silver tin stuffed with various teabags - she came across a bag of Earl Grey.

This was Armored Cruiser Tokiwa nightly routine; she would take a lonely dinner than have a lonely cup of tea. maybe even some cake if the canteen had it, She would never be able to say that she liked this routine, but by now, she had been used to her perpetual silence and solitude.

Then, someone knocked at her door. Tokiwa nearly jumped.

'Now who could that be?' she wondered, leaving the kettle to see who was at the wasn't very often guest came to her room, aside from the secretary ship or certain often mistaken room knocks, It wasn't often that Tokiwa had any guests at all.

On the way to the door, the golden-haired kanmusu tried to guess who her guest might be. she believed it could have been either Chidori or Tomozuru -or even both. Those two underclassmen of hers were both budding Destroyers after all, even more after their first Abyssal encounter they had joined her earlier that week. Whatever it was they might want to talk about, she decided to talk about it over tea and cake, Tokiwa always had plenty.

Clearing her throat, she prepared to welcome her guests with open arms. When she quickly peered through the door's peephole however, she saw that her guest wasn't either of the girls she had hoped for.

Tokiwa took a step back from the door, trying to figure out her next move. The guest standing at the door wasn't one Tokiwa would normally welcome at all. Tokiwa readies her body and tries to prepares her rigging even though it is illegal to do so in the dormitory, just incase she had a little 'scuffle' with her 'guest' at a moment's notice.

"Coming to my room at this hour?" she asked her guest coolly through the comm. "To what do i owe the honor, Battleship Asahi-san?"

There was silence.

Tokiwa had expected her guest to counter sharply and swiftly in her usual distant manner. She did not expect silence. Puzzled, the girl peered through the peephole again and saw Asahi in her everyday attire. The black haired girl was not holding any weapon or any rigging, but unto the book of armaments Tokiwa had lent her earlier in the library.

"Tokiwa-san." Asahi then replied through the comm on the door. her voice was collected and measured, but far warmer than usual. "I just wanted to thank you for lending me this book. Like you said, it's section on mortars and heavy artilleries were interesting."

Tokiwa's eyes widened, she couldn't believe her eyes or ears. To have the seclusive, distant Asahi come to her to thank her for letting her borrow a book? It was a pleasant surprise - maybe too pleasant. Tokiwa realized this and raised her guard one last time.

Asahi didn't' need to come to thank her. In fact, returning the book to the library's deposit bin would have been enough of a courtesy. Tokiwa figured she didn't have much business with Asahi, so she would just thank Asahi for dropping by, throw in a compliment or two (for good measure) before politely sending her guest off on her merry way.

"You're quite welcome." Tokiwa said, making no move to open the door, "Now then, Asahi-san..."

"Actually..." Asahi interrupted, "I came by since... I wanted to talk."

Tokiwa blinked."To me?"

"Yes,about the First Spring War. You said you would happily share what you know with a fellow enthusiast - I came by to take up that offer."

Tokiwa than slowly lowered her guard, starting to feel slightly elated. Never in a million years did she expect this sort of encounter with Asahi, The Everdistant Battleship of the naval district - it was almost as if she wanted to work together with her rather than against her. It was a step in the right direction, Tokiwa thought.  
She opened the door and the two kanmusu stood face to face for a moment in silence.

"Only friends are welcome in this room." Tokiwa then declared firmly, "Am i welcoming an exception tonight,or am i welcoming a friend?"

Despite her strong words, Asahi knew what Tokiwa wanted to hear. The cautious happiness in Tokiwa's bright eyes easily gave her away. Silently gulping, Asahi broke the tension.

"...A friend."

"A friend, huh?" Tokiwa repeated with growing cheerfulness. She closed her eyes as if savoring the moment then gave off a bright, bright smile. "Come on in then! I'll have some tea ready for us in a jiffy!"

"You don't have to go through the trouble..." Asahi refused, shy all of the sudden.

"Nonsense, Asahi-san! Have a cup of tea with me... oh, and some cake too, glad the canteen had them today!"

"Really...I'm fine."

"No, no. I insist!" Tokiwa said, ushering Asahi inside and waving aside her reluctance. "As a sign of our new friendship, I insist we have tea together!"

Asahi looked hesitant.

"Tokiwa-san..."

It have been a long,long time since Tokiwa had smiled at her like that.

"Alright."

Tokiwa beamed then returned to her kettle. Preparing two cups of tea instead of one. That evening would be a welcome break in her routine. That evening, Armored Cruiser Tokiwa would not be lonely.

Tokiwa's room was notably empty and, for the most part, devoid of fancy furniture or any second beds. It was to be expected, since she was the only one living in that dorm room. Plus,she had never expected to entertain any other kanmusu very often. Still a low triangular glass table in the middle of her small room was it's centerpiece and served as dining table.

There, around the table, Asahi and Tokiwa sat on the floor facing each other, their emptied cups of tea resting on the smooth glass surface. Businesslike silence sat heavily between them for a moment as Tokiwa took a bit from her mostly untouched slice of caramel cake. Asahi, engrossed in Tokiwa's lecture and theory, had left her cake uneaten.

Tokiwa had been in the middle of a passionate lecture about the First Spring War and Asahi listened intently.

The lecture discussion started out broadly, discussing the more well-known battles and figures of the Spring war; the theater wherein, according to Rowy, Erebus Hime manifested. Piecing together what she already knew from Rowy's 'presentation' with Tokiwa's vibrant lecture, Asahi finally managed to zero in on the country she wanted to focus on: The Commonwealth of the Philippines.

"Just like in Pearl Harbor..." Tokiwa started, thoughtfully picking at her slice of cake with a spoon, "The Philippines Campaign started with a nation-wide abyssal air raid in the archipelago.

"The Abyssal would have struck at major airbases first, naturally, to disable the USAFFE air force and means of quick transportation for the then newly developed kanmusus." Asahi guessed, "That way, they would eventually gain air superiority."

"You catch on very quickly,Asahi-san, but that is expected from the 'Ever-distant Battleship'" Tokiwa lightly teased before getting serious once more.  
"That's exactly what happened. Thus, in a very short time, the USAFFE airforce was ground to dust.

Tokiwa gave of a heavy sigh. "It's too bad the USAFFE was'nt alerted in air wings stationed in Philiphines had some fine warbirds. Nearly all of them destroyed before they could even take to the skies."

Despite the amazing breadth of Tokiwa's knowledge about the Spring war, Asahi wasn't getting the information she really wanted to know. Who was Erebus Hime? Who were those three girls Rowy had showed her?  
Having Tokiwa tell her only about recorded human history wouldn't be enough to satisfy her thirst - but she needed to stay coutious.

If ever Tokiwa found out about the fates of Kanmusu...  
Asahi didn't want to think about it. She promised herself that Tokiwa would never find out about it again, ever.

Still, Asahi wanted to play her gambit. To show Tokiwa a peek of her motives would not hurt, she figured. In return, she would have Tokiwa give her the information she really wanted.

"Tokiwa-san" Asahi asked in a carefully measured tone,  
"about those initial air raids... would you happen to know about any strange occurances?"

"Strange occurrences?" Tokiwa hummed. Her face showed no suspicion towards Asahi's question. "What do you mean by that?"

"Unusual activity - Suicides, murders, deaths..." Asahi explained, doing her best to remain vague.

"Major abyssal attacks then - The Himes I assume." Tokiwa deduced, her expression starting to seem more guarded. Asahi could only reply with a nod. "I figured that was why you were interested in the First Spring War."

Asahi's heart sank immediately. She realized she had revealed more cards than she had intended.

"I guess great minds do think alike, Asahi-san!" Tokiwa's smile shone brightly. "Abyssal Himes manifest themselves in times of great suffering and grief - both of which are plentiful during the initial war against the Newly inducted kanmusus of the time must have a hard time. I've had my theories about these sorts of things too,you know."

Asahi could barely hide her surprise, getting a hold of herself just in time. Did her blunder...actually work in her favor?

Tokiwa stood up from where she sat, her curled golden hair bouncing on her shoulders as she walked towards on of the room's far walls. With a gentle stroke of her hand, she activated a projector showing a slide with date and time, Tokiwa touched the buttons with a finger and dragged it down to change the slides, stopping at December 1941, zooming to the Philippine Islands then revealed several red spots scattered throughout the archipelago.

"These spots are the sites of major conflicts in the Philippines during that specific month." Tokiwa explained to a coutiously curious Asahi who stood behind her.  
"The earliest battles were mostly air raids...and the greatest one would have been at Clark Air Base in Pampanga."

"An AIR base? instead of a Naval district?"

"Yes." Tokiwa nodded, a slight frown on her face. "Clark Air base was the home base of the USAFFE's largest inventory of P-26 Peashooter Interceptors in the Philippines plus a major secret kanmusu project laboratory . Disabling those interceptors and the lab would have been the Abyssal main priority."

"and so when the bombing began, the planes were disabled. It sounds like standard strategic bombing to me."

"According to the books, yes..."Tokiwa agreed, folding her arms as she thought."But having an entire INTERCEPTOR wing grounded and unable to fight back is strange, don't you think? Interceptor wings are drilled to face these sort of attacks... but they just sat there and watched the bombs fell. The first aerial counterattacks came hours after bombing started. Even the anti-aircraft regiment stationed there took their time before actually shooting. a major Hime must have been involved."

Asahi smirked,"And she was defeated by the base's kanmusu."

"My thoughts exactly." Tokiwa smiled "That's the only explanation for the terribly late reaction."

Her words were then followed by a long yawn.

"Speaking of late..." Tokiwa apologized. "It's already past midnight. Would it be alright if we continued this tommorow? i wouldnt want to miss physical's tomorrow, Sensei have been hard lately."

"Sure." Asahi said, standing up and taking her leave before being stopped by Tokiwa's voice.

"Asahi-san, please do come earlier next time - and tell me beforehand!" Armored Cruiser Tokiwa chided. Her eyes then brightened and added, "Oh! And maybe we could get Chidori-san and Tomozuru-san to join us next time too! I'm sure they would be very interested in the history of Kanmusu-"

Suddenly, Asahi turned around and gave Tokiwa her coldest glare. "No."

"No?" Tokiwa asked, puzzled and suspicious."Why not? they're an aspiring Kanmusus."

"Those two..." Asahi said cautiously, turning away from Tokiwa's inquisitive gaze, "Aren't really that interested in the First Spring War."

"Really?"

"Tomozuru-san just uses History lessons for nap time...and Chidori just draws in her notebook, History bores them."

Tokiwa fell silent, not to sure how she ought to reply.

"Only you and I can fully appreciate what we will go over." Battleship Asahi said, now looking at Tokiwa directly,  
"Unlike them, we already have faced a Hime-class directly, plus that blasted Abyssal..."

"...I guess you have a point." Tokiwa sighed. "I suppose I wouldn't want to directly influence either of them to contact Rowy. I brought them on an abyssal raid, yes, but the encounter with a Hime is not what they need right now, they are not ready whatsoever, however, it wouldn't be right for me, or you for that matter, to influence their decision."

"That would be for the better, unless Admiral said so." Asahi said coolly as Tokiwa showed her to the door, "I will see you tomorrow then."

"Yes, Tomorrow."

Asahi gave Tokiwa a small, appreciative nod, her dark black hair hiding her face, before walking away from the armored cruiser's dorm room. Tokiwa watched as her guest descended down one of the staircases on her dorm, closing the door once the battleship was out of sight.

She locked the door from behind her back then slid down hugging her knees, a smile still on her lips.

It was a small step, Tokiwa knew, but it was towards the right direction. It finally seemed like she and the 'Ever-distant Battleship' would get along, oh how the shock it must be throughout the naval district if this were true.


End file.
